Sony and Yamaha design driverless cart that doubles up as mobile advertising board. The SC-1 sociable cart is designed for entertainment purposes including theme parks, golf courses and ‘commercial facilities.’

The all-electric cart seats five people and reaches a top speed of 12mph. replaceable batteries and uses additional image sensors to improve its situational awareness.

The SC-1 fuses Yamaha motor’s autonomous driving technology and Sony’s entertainment imaging technology.

The cart features several ultra-high sensitivity image sensors and cameras on board to read its surrounding, allowing for safe operation. these sensors and cameras combined with the high-resolution display installed inside the vehicle allow the passengers to see their surroundings at night even without the need for headlights.

Inside, a 49-inch 4k monitor on the inside provides a mixed reality view of the world, while four 55-inch 4k displays on the outside show passers-by ads and other material. using artificial intelligence, the cart can determine certain demographics of passers-by and optimize promos based on factors like age and gender.

the SC-1 sociable cart also features a 2D LiDAR system and ultrasonic sensors on-board, which work to accumulate travel data for deep learning analysis.

This will support optimized driving and ensure a safer travel experience. furthermore, it is equipped with hydraulic disc brakes at all four wheels, double wishbone suspension to the front and link-type suspension at the back.

the two companies expect to use the sociable cart for services in japan sometime in 2019 or by march 2020.